.gif)
The Iron Ladies (film)
Encyclopedia
The Iron Ladies is a Thai
comedy film
from the year 2000. The movie follows the true events of a men's volleyball
team, composed mainly of gay and kathoey
(transgender
) athletes. The movie was directed by Youngyooth Thongkonthun and written by Visuttchai Boonyakarnjawa and Jira Maligool
.
In 2003, the combined sequel
and prequel
called The Iron Ladies 2 (Satree lek 2) http://imdb.com/title/tt0355977/ was released. The film is based upon how the characters of The Iron Ladies met, and how they would later reunite for another volleyball tournament.
Mon and Jung are then forced to enlist the help of other gay and transsexual friends who they used to play volleyball with in university. These new players include Wit, who hasn't told his fiancée he is gay, Pia, a transsexual dancer and Nong, a gay army conscript. When the competition begins, all but one player in the team are gay or transsexual.
Because of their appearance on court, many of the match officials intend to ban the team, soon dubbed "The Iron Ladies", from the tournament. However, seeing how much the team is liked by the crowd soon changes many of their opinions.
At the end credits of the film, the real "Iron Ladies" are shown as they were at the time of making the film.
, Toronto International Film Festival
and the reader award of German LGBT
magazine Siegessäule at the Berlin International Film Festival
. It also played at the Pusan International Film Festival
, the San Francisco Asian American Film Festival, the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
, the Seattle International Film Festival
and the San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.
Cinema of Thailand
The cinema of Thailand dates back to the early days of filmmaking, when King Chulalongkorn's 1897 visit to Bern, Switzerland was recorded by Francois-Henri Lavancy-Clarke. The film was then brought to Bangkok, where it was exhibited...
comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
from the year 2000. The movie follows the true events of a men's volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
team, composed mainly of gay and kathoey
Kathoey
Kathoey or katoey is a male-to-female transgender person or an effeminate gay male in Thailand. Related phrases include sao praphet song , or phet thi sam . The word kathoey is thought to be of Khmer origin...
(transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
) athletes. The movie was directed by Youngyooth Thongkonthun and written by Visuttchai Boonyakarnjawa and Jira Maligool
Jira Maligool
Jira Maligool is a Thai film director, screenwriter and producer. He's directed two films, Mekhong Full Moon Party and The Tin Mine, and was the screenwriter behind the international hit, The Iron Ladies....
.
In 2003, the combined sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
and prequel
Prequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
called The Iron Ladies 2 (Satree lek 2) http://imdb.com/title/tt0355977/ was released. The film is based upon how the characters of The Iron Ladies met, and how they would later reunite for another volleyball tournament.
Plot
The film was released in 2001 and is set in 1996, when the real team competed and won the national championships in Thailand. The two main characters, Mon and Jung, play two gay transvestites, who had been constantly overlooked by volleyball coaches because of their appearance. However, when a local team changes coaches, the new coach holds tryouts for a new team. When Mon and Jung are selected, most of the old players resign, leaving the new coach, Coach Bee, in a sticky predicament.Mon and Jung are then forced to enlist the help of other gay and transsexual friends who they used to play volleyball with in university. These new players include Wit, who hasn't told his fiancée he is gay, Pia, a transsexual dancer and Nong, a gay army conscript. When the competition begins, all but one player in the team are gay or transsexual.
Because of their appearance on court, many of the match officials intend to ban the team, soon dubbed "The Iron Ladies", from the tournament. However, seeing how much the team is liked by the crowd soon changes many of their opinions.
At the end credits of the film, the real "Iron Ladies" are shown as they were at the time of making the film.
Cast
- Jesdaporn PholdeeJesdaporn PholdeeJesadaporn Pholdee , is a Thai actor, model, and presenter....
– Chai - Sahaphap Tor – Mon
- Chaicharn Nimpulsawasdi – Jung
- Giorgio Maiocchi – Nong
- Ekachai Buranapanit – Wit
- Kokkorn Benjathikoon – Pia
- Shiriohana Hongsopon – Coach Bee
- Phomsit Sitthijamroenkhun – April
- Sutthipong Sitthijamroenkhun – May
- Anucha Chatkaew – June
Accolades
A hit in Thailand as well as the international film festival circuit, the film has been nominated twelve times and won ten awards, including the Thailand National Film Association AwardsThailand National Film Association Awards
The Thailand National Film Association Awards is a Thai film industry ceremony held annually by the Federation of National Film Associations of Thailand...
, Toronto International Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
and the reader award of German LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
magazine Siegessäule at the Berlin International Film Festival
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
. It also played at the Pusan International Film Festival
Pusan International Film Festival
Busan International Film Festival , held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan , South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia...
, the San Francisco Asian American Film Festival, the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival – formerly known as VC FilmFest – is an annual film festival presented by Visual Communications . It was established in 1983 as a vehicle to promote Asian Pacific American and Asian international cinema. The festival fulfills a unique mission in...
, the Seattle International Film Festival
Seattle International Film Festival
The Seattle International Film Festival , held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, is among the top film festivals in North America. Audiences have grown steadily; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees...
and the San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.
External links
- The Iron Ladies at the Thai Film Database